Sports board having deformable base feature

ABSTRACT

Described herein is a sports board for gliding over a surface. The board includes an upper structural layer having an outer surface, a lower structural layer, a core having an upper surface substantially covered by the upper structural layer and a lower surface substantially covered by the lower structural layer. The board also includes a deformable element covered by the core on an upper surface. A first portion of the deformable element protrudes a distance beneath the lower structural layer towards a horizontal plane of the surface underlying the sports board. The board also includes a base element substantially covering the lower structural layer and the deformable element and an edge component positioned at least in part around a perimeter of the base element. At least a portion of the deformable element can deform upon application of an amount of pressure against the base element.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to and claims the benefit of priority under35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/434,386,titled, “Sports Board Having Deformable Base Feature,” filed Jan. 19,2011. Priority of the filing date of Jan. 19, 2011 is hereby claimed,and the disclosure of the provisional patent application is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, board-related sports including land sports such assnowboarding, skate boarding, and water or aquatic sports have continuedto become increasingly popular, competitive and demanding on both therider and the equipment. Snowboards, as well as other board slidingdevices, can be used to perform jumps and freestyle maneuvers that canbe physically dangerous and produce an element of “shock” to the rider.For example, when “grinding” on a half-pipe or rail structure, a ridercan jump onto the rail structure while positioned generally transverseto the rail. The rider can slide along the rail using the leading and/ortrailing edge of the snowboard to control the speed and angle at whichthe snowboard traverses the railing. Ideally, the central portion of thesnowboard base contacts the rail. However, the edges of snowboards caninadvertently contact the rail and cause a rider to lose his or herbalance and fall off the rail. Grinding the edges of the snowboard canalso cause damage to the snowboard.

SUMMARY

In view of the foregoing, there is provided herein a deformable,shock-absorbing element for a sport board that prevents inadvertentcontact of the edges with rail structures for a safer and morecomfortable riding experience. The boards described herein althoughgenerally described in the context of snowboards can be used for glidingalong a variety of terrains and can be applied to other sports boards,such as snow skis, water skis, wake boards, kite boards, surf boards,skateboards and the like. It should be appreciated that a “board”described herein will refer generally to any of these sorts of boards aswell as to other board-type devices which allow a rider to traverse asolid or fluid surface.

In one aspect, there is disclosed a sports board for gliding over asurface. The board includes an upper structural layer having an outersurface, a lower structural layer and a core having an upper surfacesubstantially covered by the upper structural layer and a lower surfacesubstantially covered by the lower structural layer. The board includesa deformable element covered by the core on an upper surface, wherein afirst portion of the deformable element protrudes a distance beneath thelower structural layer towards a horizontal plane of the surfaceunderlying the sports board. The board also includes a base elementsubstantially covering the lower structural layer and the deformableelement and an edge component positioned at least in part around aperimeter of the base element. The deformable element can deform uponapplication of an amount of pressure against the base element.

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features, objects, andadvantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and fromthe claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a sports board incorporating adeformable element;

FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C show top, bottom and side views, respectively, ofthe board from FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A shows a cross-sectional, schematic view taken along line

D-D of FIG. 2C;

FIG. 3B shows a cross-sectional, schematic view of another embodiment ofa board;

FIGS. 4A-4B show cross-sectional, schematic views of a boardillustrating deformation of the deformable element against railstructures;

FIG. 5 shows a bottom surface of an embodiment of a board incorporatingmultiple deformable elements;

FIGS. 6A-6B show top and side views of an embodiment of a boardincluding a deformable element in the base, a reverse camber and twocambers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a board 5 in contact with a railstructure 6 and having a deformable element 8 protruding a distance fromits bottom surface. A rider typically has an asymmetrical position withrespect to the board 5 and with respect to the surface. The rider hastwo support points on the board 5, and, by a differential action of bothboots on the support points, the rider can effect flexural or torsionalshape changes to the board 5 to aid in control. When grinding, a ridergenerally maneuvers the board 5 onto the rail structure 6 while standingon the board 5 such that the board 5 slides along the rail structure 6while positioned generally transverse to the rail structure 6.

FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C show top, bottom and side views, respectively, ofthe board 5 from FIG. 1. The board 5 can include a top surface 20 (FIG.2A) and a bottom surface 25 (FIG. 2B) and can generally be divided intoa central portion 205 positioned between binding portions 210 a, 210 b,a rounded front portion 220 a including a tip 30, and a rounded backportion 220 b including a tail 35. The board 5 can have a width thatvaries along its length, which can be symmetrical or asymmetrical withrespect to a vertical and longitudinal plane. Typically, the width ofthe board 5 is generally larger near the tip and the tail 30, 35 andtapers inward towards the central portion 205 of the board 5. Thisresults in the board 5 having an overall hour-glass shape, which canfacilitate turning and edge grip.

As best shown in FIG. 2C, the tip 30 and tail 35 can be curved upwardlyfrom a horizontal plane H to allow the board 5 to glide over theunderlying surface in either a forward or backward direction. The tip 30and tail 35 can have a tapered thickness. The interface between theleading surface of the tip 30 and the first binding portion 210 a aswell as the interface between leading surface of the tail 35 and thesecond binding portion 210 b can define a relatively smooth transitionalsurface or consistent radius. The central portion 205 can be flat or canhave a camber or a reverse camber (also called a rocker) as will bediscussed in more detail below. The binding portions 210 a, 210 b can beflat or can have a camber as will be discussed in more detail below. Thecentral portion 205 can have a convex shape from front edge 10 to backedge 15 such that the edges 10, 15 are off the horizontal surface. Thethickness of the board 5 along the central portion 205 can be generallythicker than the that of the tip and tail 30, 35. This can provide theboard 5 with greater stability between the binding attachments whileproviding improved flexibility proximate the tip and tail 30, 35. In anembodiment, the deformable element 8 positioned beneath the centralportion 205 provides an increased thickness to the central portion 205.

FIG. 3A shows a cross-sectional, schematic view taken along line D-D ofFIG. 2C. The board 5 can be formed of a number of layers each providinga particular function to the board 5. From the bottom surface 25 of theboard 5 is a base layer 105. The base layer 105 can cover nearly theentire bottom surface 25 generally with the exception of the edgecomponent 110. On top of the base layer 105 is a deformable element 8and on top of the base layer 105 and the deformable element 8 can be areinforcement layer 115. It should be appreciated that the reinforcementlayer 115 can also surround the deformable element 8 (see FIG. 3B). Inan embodiment, the reinforcement layer 115 can be fiberglass, carbon,Kevlar® (para-aramid synthetic fibers), basalt, spectra, hemp, bamboo orother material or composite. In an embodiment, the reinforcement layer115 is a laminate fiber-reinforced polymer composite material in whichthe reinforcing fibers of the laminae are oriented in any of thefollowing layups: 0/90, 0/30/−30/90, in which the numbers indicaterotation of the reinforcing fibers in degrees in each lamina relative tothe laminate coordinate system. The reinforcement layer 115 can becovered by a core/sidewall layer that includes an outer sidewallcomponent 125 and an inner core component 130. The outer sidewallcomponent 125 can extend around at least a portion of the board 5 alongthe perimeter and form an angle with the edge component 110, which alsocan surround at least a portion of the board 5 along the perimeter. Thecore component 130 can typically be formed from a relatively lightweightmaterial that reduces the overall weight of the board 5. The corecomponent 130 can be made of wood, bamboo, plastic, foam, a compositematerial, fiberglass, carbon fiber, Kevlar®, aluminum, and steelhoneycomb or other materials known in the art. The core component 130can, but need not, include a recess or milled region such that at leasta portion of the deformable element 8 can reside within the recess (seeFIG. 3B). The core/sidewall layers can be covered by a secondreinforcement layer 135 which can then be covered with a top layer 140.The first and second reinforcement layers 115, 135 can be bonded orlaminated to the core/sidewall layers 125, 130 and can provide fordesired stiffness and torsional rigidity characteristics, and wearcharacteristics. The base layer 105 and the top layer 140 can be madewith material(s) that are wear- and scratch-resistant that can glidealong the surface without significant damage. The materials are alsogenerally suitable for filling, shaping, and smoothing to fix edgedamage, such as HDPE (high-density polyethylene), UHMWPE (ultra-highmolecular-weight polyethylene), epoxy resin, or the like. The deformableelement 8 is sufficiently deformable such that it can flatten to beflush with a plane of the board upon application of an amount ofpressure and thus, is not an impediment to finishing the base layer.Further, the top layer 140 can include a top graphic and finish to theboard 5. A final laminate can be applied on the riding surface such aspolycarbonate or another polymer that is impervious to water, lowfriction and able to accept wax as a final finish.

The various layers of the board can be bonded together such as bylaminating through heat and pressure as is known in the art. The boardcan be manufactured using “twin plate” approach or “sandwich” or“injection” or “vacuum” methods as are known in the art.

As mentioned above, the base layer 105 covers nearly the entire bottomsurface 25 with the exception of the edge component 110. The edgecomponent 110 can be made of a material at least in part that is harderand more resilient than the material from which the sidewall 125 and thebase material 105 are made, such as a metal like steel. In anembodiment, the edge component 110 is positioned at least in part aroundthe perimeter of the board 5 to protect the base layer 105 and the firstreinforcement layer 115 from becoming damaged due to impact with hardobjects. The edge component 110 can also aid in turning the board 5. Theedge component 110 can extend along an outside edge and can define anabrupt angle to cut into the surface when performing a turning maneuver.

Because the edge component 110 is generally a harder material than thebase layer 105 of the board 5, it can also have a different coefficientof friction compared to the base layer 105 of the board 5. As such, whena rider inadvertently contacts the edge component 110 to a surface, forexample a rail structure 6 during a freestyle trick, the board 5 canslip and cause the rider to lose his or her balance and fall. The boardsdescribed herein incorporate a deformable element 8 in the bottomsurface 25 that helps to prevent such accidents.

As described above, the deformable element 8 can be sandwiched betweenthe base layer 105 and the first reinforcement layer 115 (or as shown inFIG. 3B between two reinforcement layers 115). The deformable element 8can include a variety of materials such as silicone, foam, rubber, gel,amorphous metal, viscoelastic polymer or other materials or acombination thereof. The deformable element 8 can also be a bladderfilled with a material such as a fluid, gas, liquid, gel, solidparticulates (e.g. powdered solids or foam beads) or other material orcombination thereof. The material used for the deformable element 8 canhave a degree of hardness such that it can be deformed, compressed orflattened to a generally planar geometry under an amount of pressureapplied. The deformable element 8 can also be deformed such that itmaintains a three-dimensional geometry under an amount of pressureapplied.

The deformable element 8 can provide various advantages to the board 5depending upon the properties of the surface on which it is used. In oneexample, the deformable element 8 can deform less or not at all, such aswhen used on soft surfaces like powder snow. In this scenario, thebottom surface 25 can maintain a three-dimensional shape that can lessendrag and improve carving. For example, the three-dimensional shape canresemble a boat hull-shape. The three-dimensional shape of the board canalso improve the overall speed achieved during a ride on the mountainand prevent the board from wandering or catching an edge during normalriding on a surface. As such, on soft surfaces the board having thethree-dimensional projection of the element 8 can create a rocker effecteven though the remainder of the board is generally planar. In contrast,the deformable element 8 can flatten or deform, such as when used onharder surfaces like packed or icy snow or when using the board on ahalf-pipe or other structure (see FIGS. 4A-4B). The deformation of theelement 8 can cause the bottom surface 25 of the board 5 to wrap onto,conform to or surround at least a portion of the rail 6 or hard surface.This prevents the edge components 110 of the board 5 from inadvertentlycontacting and catching the rail structure 6. As such, on hardersurfaces the board 5 having the deformable element 8 performs like acamber board. The deformable element 8 improves safety of the ride andcan provide a more stable platform and can also increase dampeningproperties to reduce the feeling of vibrations from hard impacts andriding on hard surfaces.

The dimensions, position and number of the deformable element(s) 8incorporated on the board 5 all can vary. Generally, the deformableelement 8 is sufficient in size, projection, and flexibility and isappropriate in position relative to the center of the board 5 such thatit allows a rider to contact a rail structure 6 with the bottom surface25 of the board 5 while preventing inadvertent contact of the edgecomponents 110 with the rail structure 6. As shown in FIG. 2B, thedeformable element 8 can be positioned within at least the centralportion 205 of the board 5 generally between or adjacent one or morebinding portions 210 a, 210 b. The deformable element 8 can also extendbeyond the one or more binding portions 210 a, 210 b or be positioned atother locations on the bottom surface 25 of the board 5 (see FIG. 5, forexample). FIG. 5 also shows that the board 5 can incorporate multiplenon-contiguous deformable elements 8 a, 8 b, 8 c, 8 d, and 8 e. Thedeformable element 8 can have a variety of shapes including, but notlimited to hourglass, diamond, circular, rectangular, square,triangular, octagonal, oval, v-shape, U-shape or other shape.

The deformable element 8 can protrude from beneath the board. Generally,the thickness of the deformable element 8 is greater than the thicknessof the portion of the deformable element 8 that protrudes. Thedeformable element 8 can be enclosed between the first and secondreinforcement layers 115, 135. As mentioned, at least a portion of thedeformable element 8 can be aligned with or positioned within a recessor cavity milled into the lower surface of the core 130 (see FIG. 3B). Asecond portion of the deformable element 8 can protrude from the recessin the core 130 forming a three-dimensional element on the base of theboard. Application of pressure can result in the deformable element 8compressing. The deformable element 8 can compress to be completelyplanar or it can retain a three-dimensional shape. It should beappreciated that the core 130 need not include a recess or cavity milledinto its lower surface. When pressure is applied to the deformableelement 8 it may not compress to be completely planar. In an embodiment,at least a portion of the deformable element 8 can protrude beneath thelower surface of the board towards the horizontal plane of theunderlying surface creating a three-dimensional element that protrudesfrom the lower surface of the board. The element 8 can protrude by atleast about 1 mm to about 5 mm when unweighted (i.e. when no pressure isapplied to the element 8 from either the board 5 or a surface such as arail structure 6). In an embodiment, a portion of the deformable element8 can protrude beneath the board by at least about 2 mm. In anembodiment, at least a portion of the deformable element 8 can deform byapproximately 2 mm when a pressure is applied.

As mentioned above, the three-dimensional projection of the deformableelement 8 beyond the bottom surface 25 of the board 5 can vary as well.In an embodiment, the deformable element 8 can project such that whendeformed upon application of pressure, such as when in contact with arail structure 6, the bottom surface 25 of the board 5 can form a seatand surround at least a portion of the rail structure 6 conforming tothe shape of the structure 6 and providing a gripping function. Itshould be appreciated that the deformable element 8 need not projectfrom, but can be flush with the bottom surface 25 of the board 5.

It should be appreciated that the deformable element 8 can beincorporated on a board having a variety of geometries, including a flatboard as shown in FIGS. 2A-2C, or a board incorporating one or morecamber regions or a board incorporating one or more rocker regions or acombination of camber and rocker regions as shown in FIGS. 6A-6B. Asshown in FIGS. 6A-6B, the first and second binding portions 210 a, 210 beach can include a set of binding mounting holes 240 a, 240 b on eitherside of the central portion 205 that allow for boot bindings to bemounted to the board 5. The binding mounting holes 240 a, 240 b areshown in schematic in the form of circles within the first and secondbinding portions 210 a, 210 b. The boot bindings can be movedlongitudinally along the board 5 to the extent the binding mountingholes 240 a, 240 b allow such movement. The binding mounting holes 240a, 240 b of the first and second binding portions 210 a, 210 b can bealigned with a region defining a camber (see FIGS. 6A-6B). Further, thecentral portion 205 of the board 5 can include a rocker or reversecamber to impart additional board performance benefits to the rider.

The rounded front portion 220 a can incorporate a generally planarsegment 215 a adjacent the first binding portion 210 a and the roundedback portion 220 b can incorporate a generally planar segment 215 badjacent the second binding portion 210 b.

One or more of the rounded front portion 220 a, the first bindingportion 210 a, the rounded back portion 220 b and the second bindingportion 210 b can be above the horizontal plane H when unweighted. Whenweighted, such as when a rider is standing on the board and depending onthe weight of the rider, one or more of these portions can contact thehorizontal plane H or can remain elevated above horizontal. In anembodiment, the rounded front portion 220 a remains elevated abovehorizontal H when a rider that is 150 lbs (approximately 63 kg) is onthe board 5. In another embodiment, the rounded front portion 220 a andthe first mounting portion 210 a remain elevated above horizontal H whenthe 150 lb rider is on the board 5. In another embodiment, the roundedback portion 220 b remains elevated above horizontal H when the 150 lbrider is on the board 5. In another embodiment, the rounded back portion220 b and the second mounting portion 210 b remain elevated abovehorizontal H when the 150 lb rider is on the board 5. In anotherembodiment, the rounded front portion 220 a and the first mountingportion 210 a and the rounded back portion 220 b and the second mountingportion 210 b remain elevated above horizontal H when the 150 lb rideris on the board 5. The raised sliding surfaces can improve safety withregard to landing after jumping with a board.

While this specification contains many specifics, these should not beconstrued as limitations on the scope of an invention that is claimed orof what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specificto particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in thisspecification in the context of separate embodiments can also beimplemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, variousfeatures that are described in the context of a single embodiment canalso be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in anysuitable sub-combination. Moreover, although features may be describedabove as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed assuch, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some casesbe excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may bedirected to a sub-combination or a variation of a sub-combination.Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults.

Although embodiments of various methods and devices are described hereinin detail with reference to certain versions, it should be appreciatedthat other versions, embodiments, methods of use, and combinationsthereof are also possible. Therefore the spirit and scope of thedisclosure should not be limited to the description of the embodimentscontained herein. It also should be appreciated that although the sportboard described herein is frequently described in context of snow andsnowboards, that the described technology can be incorporated into othertypes of sport boards including skis, snow sliding devices, watersportboards such as kiteboards and wakeboards, skateboards and the like.

1. A sports board for gliding over a surface, comprising: an upperstructural layer comprising an outer surface; a lower structural layer;a core having an upper surface substantially covered by the upperstructural layer and a lower surface substantially covered by the lowerstructural layer; a deformable element covered by the core on an uppersurface, wherein a first portion of the deformable element protrudes adistance beneath the lower structural layer towards a horizontal planeof the surface underlying the sports board; a base element substantiallycovering the lower structural layer and the deformable element; and anedge component positioned at least in part around a perimeter of thebase element.
 2. The board of claim 1, wherein the outer surface of theupper structural layer comprises a binding portion coupled adjacent acentral portion.
 3. The board of claim 2, wherein the deformable elementis aligned at least in part with the central portion of the upperstructural layer.
 4. The board of claim 1, wherein the portion of thedeformable element that protrudes is at least about 1 mm to about 5 mmthick when the board is unweighted.
 5. The board of claim 1, wherein thedeformable element deforms upon application of an amount of pressureagainst the base element.
 6. The board of claim 5, wherein thedeformable element conforms to a shape of the surface applying theamount of pressure against the base element.
 7. The board of claim 6,wherein the surface comprises a rail structure.
 8. The board of claim 7,wherein the deformable element surrounds at least a portion of the railstructure.
 9. The board of claim 8, wherein the deformable elementprevents inadvertent contact between the edge component and the railstructure.
 10. The board of claim 5, wherein the deformable elementdeforms by approximately 2 mm when the amount of pressure is applied.11. The board of claim 1, wherein the lower surface of the core furthercomprises a recess, wherein a second portion of the deformable elementresides within the recess.
 12. The board of claim 11, wherein thedeformable element compresses into the recess upon application of anamount of pressure against the base element and approaches a generallyplanar geometry.
 13. The board of claim 1, wherein the deformableelement is sufficiently deformable to achieve a generally planargeometry relative to the base element when riding on a hard surface. 14.The board of claim 13, wherein the deformable element deforms less ornot at all when riding on a soft surface.
 15. The board of claim 14,wherein the deformable element maintains a three-dimensional shape onthe soft surface creating a rocker effect.
 16. The board of claim 1,wherein the board comprises a plurality of non-contiguous deformableelements.
 17. The board of claim 1, wherein the deformable element has ashape selected from the group consisting of hourglass, diamond,circular, rectangular, square, triangular, octagonal, oval, v-shape, andU-shape.
 18. The board of claim 1, wherein the deformable elementcomprises a material selected from the group consisting of silicone,foam, rubber, and gel.
 19. The board of claim 1, wherein the deformableelement comprises a fillable bladder.
 20. The board of claim 19, whereinthe bladder is filled with a gas, liquid, or gel material.
 21. The boardof claim 1, wherein the deformable element has dampening properties andreduces the feeling of vibration to a user.